how we do...

My last road trip with dad

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 01:17:00 +0000

I had a conversation today with a fellow photographer about the pros and cons of taking a road trip with another photographer. And like taking a road trip with anyone, you'll either love them or hate them by the end. Then randomly (?) I started looking at images on my long neglected website and Flickr feed and found a set from a road trip I took in 2008.

When my husband couldn't go because of work at the last minute, I invited my dad to go as I was heading to Mt. Shasta to meet a fly fishing guide, and perhaps he could get a day or two of fly fishing in while we worked on Shasta Trout's (then) new website. He was beyond gung-ho and drove to Portland and picked me up.

We opted to take a meandering route to have a look at Crater Lake, which I'd never seen and planned to stay the night in Ashland so I could take him to a fun English Pub my husband and I discovered the year prior. We encountered forest fires, thunderstorms, downed trees that blocked highways and a balloon festival. And through it all my dad never once complained about my wanting to stop to take a few snaps or a few hundred, for that matter. He was as easy going as could be. My dad passed away suddenly last September. My heart is utterly broken and I've struggled for months to put my thoughts and feelings into words. I'm grateful for countless adventures we enjoyed and for his patience and love. I miss him more than words can convey. Thank you dad.

Roamin'

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:09:00 +0000

Over the summer, we've been having lots of fun. On various outings, things take an expected turn and almost always result in amazing adventure.

Before we even left the house for adventure one day, our neighbor brought over a tiny kitten she found sleeping under her front stairs. She asked us to watch it while she ran some errands. She had to go but promosed to return later to help find the rightful owner. Of course, with a tiny haggard kitten to play with, we were all over it - it was quite fun. The doggies were suspicious but eventually we just went through our day and the kitten napped in the dining room.

Our neighbor returned and with the help of a group of people, the original owners were found and all was good. The owners didn't seem particularly distraught and were busy with their dog and a newborn for most of our encounter. It seemed like the kitten was just not getting attention.

A few weeks passed and "Roman" (as a play on words for "roamin'") faded from memory.

Then, one night while walking through the park across the street, we walked past a tree and an an animal scurried up the tree about ten feet to the first nook. Upon closer inspection it was Roman again, this time quite dirty and with some dried blood on his chin. He was slowly heading to feral, it seemed.

Well, we took Roman home, cleaned him up and set him up to sleep in the basement with Bobby, since it's full bedroom and away from the doggies. He snuggled right in and probably slept a lot better than outside in the grass. I'm unsure where Roman will end up longer term, but we'll hold onto him for a few days and see if he sticks around when the door is open.

Sounds

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:45:00 +0000

Have a Listen!

Summer Solace

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:22:00 +0000

Hello again, dear friends and family. The summer is full blast and we're through the first week of above-100-degree weather. No word on if another will hit us, but right now things are delightfully balmy.

We've been busy. Here's a summary:
I got ordained as a minister and officiated two friends' weddings. They didn't want to do anything complicated or large, so having a friend help out was impossible to ignore. The big days were flawless, and everything went just fine. Hanmi shot the weddings and the photos are beautiful.

Han's working on some new websites. They are not only well-done, but quite informative. If you're in the area, give these businesses a visit
FixYourOwnBack.org: using doctor-approved gentle exercises.
Shasta Trout: When you want the best trout-fishing excursion possible.
h2meyer.com: The most beautiful photography ever.
Padre Pio: Cool Tunes
Diamond-Cut Life: Sustainability Blog and News. Great ideas for living great the low-impact way.

We're both back to full climbing season, with 3 or 4 trips out per week, getting set for nice trips to Smith Rock, Leavenworth, and Red Rocks.

Han is now selling "The Hotness" BBQ Sauce. If you want some, just let us know. We have testimonials from all over our circle of friends: This stuff is THE best BBQ sauce you'll ever try. It's hot, not too sweet, and full of a flavor.

Padre Pio has a show coming up! If you're in the area, stop in and let us entertain you.

Until next, time, be sure to kiss your chick.

Sunny

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Well, it's Spring again. After the cold and wild Winter of 08/09, the trees are showering us with beautiful flowers. As usual, our piecemeal status updates are dropping into other channels than this area. We're on facebook and email, but nothing really pours into online channels - too many real-life people to chat with, thankfully.

Han's documentary concepts are forming, and she's been working with Reach, a community development non-profit to help with their photos and presentations. Her web development skills are now powering quite a few sites, including Shasta Trout, Diamond-Cut Life and the Spring's latest project, Padre Pio. It's quite amazing to see her branch out and use barter for smaller transactions, which helps everyone build great relationships and stay connected while the official economy tanks.

My own projects has revolved around music this Spring. Starting in Feb, I switched from guitar and MIDI-based songwriting to a more social band atmosphere. Although I still like dabble, the fun of collaboration for writing, play and recording has been awesome. All the usual drama around a "band" comes along, which is fun in its own way.

The house transformed for a few weeks into an amateur studio/rehearsal space while the band prepped for a few performances. It may still convert from time to time, but for now, its (almost) back to a full dining room.

I've gotten knee-deep into the world of online music promotion, ranging from a few social networking sites to more of the marketing and selling sites. I've also stumbled across a ton of great musicians along the way.

Also, I've had to realize that 38 is old in the music sense. A lot of the folks who have the most freedom to participate are young and subsisting on their parents' resources. In other words, there's a lot of people about 3 years away from reality smacking them in the face. I'm happy to split a "day job" with true focus on music in a realistic sense: ability, creativity, sociability. I'm glad to have been introduced to some similar folks through Han's musician links she's made over the years.

In the non-music news, we've been taking "NET" classes for a few weeks now. NET is a regional version of the federal "CERT" program that teaches citizens preparedness, light rescue and medical techniques for getting through a large-scale disaster. Here in the NW, our particular dangers are from volcanoes, earthquakes, windstorms, and possibly fires. When a "big one" hits, the professionals have realized that they will be overwhelmed, and so these classes become essential to getting the most number of people to survive. We're learning basic techniques to getting through such events, from how to use certain equipment, to organizational/communication skills to psychological concepts that can arise. It's wonderfully fascinating, even if the subject matter is scary and morbid. Look for this in your town - it's amazing.

The economic depression has hit our way, just like everywhere. We've scaled back on travel plans, taken a 10% hit on income, and re-formulated our cost-of-living. Also, we're re-financing on a much lower rate, which should offset some other losses. In the end, though, I'm happy to see that our cost of living was already so low that just a few changes were necessary to keep us going. We're able to still save in case of something big, and we're still enjoying all the activities we always have (biking/climbing/gardening/cooking/music-making).

In the future generally, Han and I are both bracing for even more narrowing of our spending habits. But for now, with the Spring in full action (no heating bills) and no big projects on the list, we're confident we can weather the dollar drought.

PDX Debut

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:25:00 +0000

Padre Pio played its first show this past weekend. It was a blast! We sounded great and had a really fun time onstage. I'm grateful to all the support from friends who came to see us. Of course, I have to hand it to Mr Mosey for grabbing this project and slamming it through to realization.

More photos...

We're are planning our next show and working on a new set of songs. Look for them getting flushed out over the next few months, and then a new recording coming up in the Fall!

Dining Room Music World

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:00:00 +0000

We recently gutted the dining room and converted it to an impromptu practice area for creating music and stuff. I collected a pile of gadgets and wired them together just to have some fun.

This is the standard setup for the keyboards and other noisemakers.

Kev was awesome to empty the drums out of his closet and set them up. We will be jamming more over the coming weeks.

Malo and I take a break after a practice (gear still unpacked from move) and read teh interwebs.

Padre Pio

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:03:00 +0000

Just stumbled across some good tunes. Padre Pio is making news with a retro-pop sound that is reminiscent of Roxy Music, David Bowie and Jonathan Richman. As an ongoing project of David Mosey, Padre Pio was recently in New York to record and release "The Madeline EP" which has been catching some great press.
Each song starts simply and swells through some catchy pop that keeps you moving and delivers some contemplative lyrics. Combining upbeat rhythms and classic pop orchestration, David's baritone voice is a compelling storyteller.
All songs are available digitally, check them out!

Snowy Exploring

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:01:00 +0000

The next day, we're out and about exploring the town. Up to about a foot of snow has fallen and is now receding. Most businesses called off for the week, and everyone has decided to move by ski or sled. Hanmi tries getting used to the new cross-country skis, the dogs are having a blast, and the kids enjoy every short hill in town.

Winter Walk

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:12:00 +0000

Hey all! Winter is comin' on strong here for the past week or so. It's been a mixture of snow, rain and lotsa wind. The city is moving slow and everyone is meeting in living rooms for big pot luck dinners and board games and music. Here's a short silent film of a walk to get some food.

Thanks All

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:25:00 +0000

Well, after our trip East, I wanted to send a gracious Thank You to the whole family, for meeting up for a great party and wonderful food. I'd like to send a special Thank You to my Aunt Jeannine. Her enthusiasm and interest in my latest doings with her keen interest on how each step of my life has made me feel was heartwarming. I'm really glad to catch up with her and learn all about life in central PA, the latest with Steven and how her and Dan are joined at the hip from home to the office. Here in Oregon, we're drawn to the mountain places on our weekends, so we'll have to make a point to visit their mountain home on our next trip back east.

The trip was good - the doggies went along and were rock stars the whole time. We need to carry autographed B&W shots of them - so many people want to meet them.

As usual, my parents were gracious hosts to both us and the big gathering - we're always thankful to stay with them and spend time. While we no longer even try to beat Dad at pool any more, its nice to know he still pursues the APA masters league. The food was great, as Mom makes a great mix of things and everyone brings a interesting dish.

We also had a dinner with Dan & Jen at their home. The kids are adorable, playing and curious all the time. Dan is loud and proud, as we know him. I'm proud as well of everything he's achieved - seeming all at once (school, work, sports). I'm sure we'll connect up again soon.

We took the time to sit and talk with both Rose and Gmom, who has been feeling under the weather but seems to be back home and doing well. Rose's pasta lunch was yummy (the pumpkin martinis were great) - and we've made our own baked apples since returning, a new favorite dessert.

Lastly, I personally wanted to thank my Mom. Mom has been the grease to the wheels of the family for as long as I can remember. She keeps us in the loop when family news is rolling by, makes plans for our visits, and always keeps the food, drink and conversation ever-present and delightful. Over the years, Mom has seen Dan and I grow into unique adults (neither of which grew up on a farm!) but we've been able to each keep our family ties in the styles that fit us best. I'm very thankful for how its all worked out and for how accepting and loving she has been of all our choices, questionable or admirable, over the years. Mom is the first to defend our decisions and the most reluctant to deliver the "I told you so" after-comment. For this and so many other reasons, I must express my deep love and thankfulness for her care. We're truly blessed in having parents that have supported us so far and away from where we've started. Thanks so much!

What's your cut?

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:29:00 +0000

The Railroad Analogy

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:11:00 +0000

Royce Butte Wildfire

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:33:00 +0000

Royce Butte Fire, originally uploaded by Hanmi.

Here is a set of images from the Royce Butte fire last month. When we drove around a bend in the highway we saw a small puff of white smoke... by the time we neared Crescent Lake Junction, it was a large white plume. A couple minutes after we pulled over it was a big, black, ominous cloud. In fact, when we slowed down to speak to a state trooper, I could feel the heat of the fire (though I couldn't see the flames) on my face. After I took a few shots we got back into the car, and stopped again at the top of the hill where I took a few more shots. The fire was clearly spreading very quickly. Pretty scary stuff. Click the image to see more.

Montague Balloon Fair

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:15:00 +0000

Montague Balloon Fair, originally uploaded by Hanmi.

More pics from my road trip with dad... The morning we were planning to head home was the first day of the Montague Balloon Fair just north of Mt. Shasta. This was good incentive to hit the road early, and about the only thing that could have gotten me up at 4am... We arrived before dawn and got rock star parking so dad could enjoy the show in comfort while I spent 2 1/2 hours wandering around taking pictures [and freezing my tookas]. Click the image to see more on my Flickr page!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hanmi/sets/72157607614482080/

How bad can it get?

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:16:00 +0000

If you've found yourself wondering, "what if" amidst all the hype and nonsense related to the upcoming election, here's one point of view...

I'm Voting Republican

Road trip with Dad - day 1

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:08:00 +0000

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Mt. Shasta, California to visit a client [and now friend] to climb, learn to fly fish, take some pictures, and get to know each other. Originally Jim was going to come along, but his work schedule is tight and he had to bail. As Craig [my client] is a fly fishing guide, I started thinking my dad might really enjoy going with me. Sure enough, he was game and we took off on Tuesday.
The plan was to drive from Portland to Ashland the first day, with a detour to take us past Crater Lake. The drive ended up being much longer than planned, but our luck prevailed and we narrowly dodged the Royce Butte wildfire (the road was closed 5 minutes after we passed), falling trees, and a lightening storm on our side trip. We arrived safely in Ashland a couple hours later than planned, but had a great meal at the Black Sheep Pub [a discovery on last year's road trip with Jim], and topped it off with a Guinness float. Naturally, I took a lot of photos...
There will be more photos and details to come...

Climbing at Beacon Rock

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Anna Climbing, photo by Hanmi.

Last weekend we took our neighbor climbing at our favorite local crag. She's been climbing indoors for a while at school, but has only climbed outside once or twice. You'd never know it based on how she attacked every route we put her on, though. She's definitely a natural, and I'm sure we'll be seeing her out on the rock a lot more in years to come. Nice work Anna!

Jayzus it's hot!

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:13:00 +0000

Wow... as I type it's 100°F and climbing and the forecast is even hotter tomorrow... My home office feels more like a place to bake cookies than make photos. The chickens are miserable, standing around under the deck panting. I gave them some ice water and some frozen blueberries, but they still look very unhappy. And poor Delilah is molting... although, losing some feathers in this weather doesn't sound so bad. Chickens are notoriously grumpy when they are molting, and she's gone from the friendliest to down right mean. I tell her it will be over soon, but she looks at me incredulously, then tries to take a piece out of my hand. Poor girl.
I'm sure the tomatoes and peppers are enjoying this, though. The rest of us will just have to lay low [like in the basement...] and wait it out. And probably watch a lot of movies.

LA Beach Trip

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:27:00 +0000

We were out of town this past week, enjoying the wonderful company of some old friends, and a few new ones, in Newport Beach, just south of Los Angeles, California. We attended the wedding Jeff and Nicole at a local boat "clubhouse" - really a very cool hotel and convention center along a marina. Their ceremony reminded us very much of our own, and their live singer and DJ were very cool indeed.

For the rest of the weekend, we visited some friends from up here in Oregon also traveling, another friend who recently re-located to LA [again] and hung out around the beach where we were staying. The beach was crowded but beautiful, clear and warm. We met a sea lion swimming by the pier, watched the surfing and ate some fish. Very fun!

Garden Box revisited

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:14:00 +0000

Well, its time to visit the newest garden box in the front yard. If you look back earlier, you'll see that this box was just built and filled this year. Through the miracle of photosynthesis and time, we're now on the cusp of a nice crop of Poblano Peppers.

As well as peppers, we've have Swiss Chard, Blue Lake Bush Beans and Snow Peas growing in the box, all planted in various phases so that we can harvest them in succession. This means that when the peppers are done, the peas will have more sun. As you can see, the bean plants are getting quite large. As we eat the chard the beans will get more sun to make more beans. Also, the shade the chard receives right now keeps it cooler in the sun, keeping it from bolting and extending the harvest.

It's been a fun little mini-garden to watch. Hanmi has been diligently removing the nasty bugs and giving a good watering every other morning or so. I think we'll create 1 new garden box each year and try different things. Today we saw someone growing corn in theirs! Last year's box is overflowing with pumpkins and soy beans. Yummy fun arrives in October.

More Squamish Photos

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:04:00 +0000

Here are a few of my faves from our recent trip to Squamish BC. If you squint and cross your eyes a little you can almost see the cougar as it strolled past our tent. I have no idea why I was so shaky trying to take the shot...

Squamish, BC

noreply@blogger.com (mugnyte) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Summer is perfect for climbing northward of us, especially when it's been dry for 6 weeks. So, with our dear friend Christine as our guide, we took a tip up to the town of Squamish, British Columbia in nearby Canada. It's a small but lovely logging and outdoor-tourism town that sits adjacent to some amazing granite monoliths.

Our trip was short by most standards, so we decided to hit a large adventure our first day our. With a team of three, we had to be mindful of the time out, but the peak was less important than simply all getting a chance to climb exciting rock. With that "The Ultimate Everything" delivers! All moderate grades and quite wild and bushy.

We began on a popular route on "The Apron" called Deidre, which was 5 pitches of wonderful low-angle slab and small cracks. We hit it early (about 7AM) and were the first team out. Eventually we saw more folks, but for such a popular climb it was nice to be climbing alone as a team.

Our team consisted of myself, my wife Hanmi and our friend Christine. Christine's been visiting Squamish for many summers, so we skipped the typical hunt-and-peck for the route starts. The base of many climbs is an exercise in finding an elusive trail or choosing the right path among too many. Also, the starts of the routes we hit were actually up the wall a bit, requiring us to scramble before beginning.

Once up above the traffic, the sky was a mixture of hot sun, cool breezes and hazy horizons. The weather is typically variable and occasional rain can be expected all summer long. Except for the shuffling of jackets and hat on or off, we were pretty comfortable all day.

Ultimate Everything is a link up from the top of The Apron to the top of the Chief, by way of a few trails and a ledge-access short pitch. After Deidre, we took Memorial Crack upwards, then hiked around a gully system to a bushy ledge to an obvious start. The pitches here were exhilarating and yet still moderate, in a word, wonderful!

We reached a ledge by 5PM and looked at the water/time/route options and decided to hit the bar. We didn't need to walk or rap down in the dark just to bag the peak, given that we still had 5 days of new rock to explore.

After a short tour through the Smoke Bluff crags and a day "resting up" bouldering, we were back to play on another route on the Apron: "Snake". This route was new for all of us, and involved some fun exposed climbing. There are a number of traverses, the crux pitch being a traverse where the climber can make use of a snake-like tree root running horizontally. It's great fun and worth a 1/2 day.

We made good time for a team of three, taking it easy and averaging about 1 hour per pitch, with lots of cheering and snacks along the way. I was most impressed with our abilities, given that we've not been pushing our climbing skills for a few weeks. Hanmi especially has progressed tremendously, as her abilities leading, following, building anchors and racking cleanly were great (though I'm not really one to judge).

Some more pictures from various spots on the wall...

The morning harvest

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:41:00 +0000

While puttering around in the garden yesterday morning, I couldn't help but notice how lovely the fruit & veggies & eggs looked when I set them down to attend a tomato plant... so I ran in and got the camera.

A full quart of blueberries, 4 eggs, and a half pound of beans... not bad for a 3500 sf. urban lot! I can't wait for tomato season!

Garden box o' leftovers [mostly]

noreply@blogger.com (h2meyer) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:30:00 +0000

On a hot summer day, we decided to build another planter box for the front yard. In our ever-growing need to expand our garden, we're always hunting around for nice designs that satisfy a few requirements:

Pleasant to look at
Pleasant to work with
Holds dirt, won't rot quickly
Good drainage
Above doggie pee height
Uses up some leftover building materials

It was a perfect day to take out the tools (table saw, miter saw, skill saw, drills and hardware) and use a bit more of our cedar woodpile. The rosewood stain and Trex decking make everything nice colors. The Trex top also makes a great bench, making a fun place to hang out while chatting with neighbors or just plucking weeds. We hope to have something popping up in about 3 weeks.

Hanmi came up with this design last year and it's held up well. The oil keeps it from rotting.

Here are some peechurs!

The staples can come out... they were a quick way to hold the end framing together prior to assembling the box. Also, the triangle braces for the Trex are the leftover miter cuts from the end frames. Overall we had very little waste.

Here you can see the original "prototype" for the planter on the left. It has been supplying us with lettuce, garlic, mustard & kale greens all spring. Next season crop is already on the way: pumpkins and soybeans! The only difference is the prototype was made with 3/4" plywood leftovers [the first box was made entirely of scraps].

Being fresh out of 3/4" ply, we got some 1"x6"x6' cedar fence boards and used those full length. The end panels were made with leftover 1/2 plywood framed with a leftover 2x6 that had been ripped in half.

words by Jim, photos by Hanmi